Oscar Nominated Palestinian Filmmaker Detained at Los Angeles Airport

Oscar Nominated Palestinian Filmmaker Detained at Los Angeles Airport

'When you live under occupation, with no rights, this is a daily occurrence'

by

Jacob Chamberlain, staff writer

(Photo: Kino Lorber)

Oscar nominated Palestinian filmmaker Emad Burnat was detained at Los Angeles International Airport Tuesday night with his wife and 8-year-old son, who had all arrived in Los Angeles ahead of the Academy Awards.

Despite showing immigration officers the Oscar invitation for his critically acclaimed film 5 Broken Cameras, Burnat and his family were held for 90 minutes. Officers told Burnat he did not have permission to enter the United States and threatened to send him "back to Palestine."

It wasn't until Burnat contacted his friend Michael Moore, who in turn contacted lawyers and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that Burnat and his family were allowed to enter the country.

"It's nothing I'm not already used to," Emad later told Moore. "When you live under occupation, with no rights, this is a daily occurrence."

Burnat's film is nominated for Best Documentary.

The film tells the story of the residents of a small village, Bil’in, in the West Bank, and their fight to stop to the expansion of the Israeli separation wall on their land and the continued spread of illegal Jewish settlements.

Further

Academics are increasingly, ingeniously fighting back against an Orwellian "Professor Watchlist" aimed at exposing "radical" teachers. The list has inspired online trolls to name their own suspects - Albus Dumbledore, Dr. Pepper, Mr. Spock - and a Watchlist Redux to honor not trash targets from Jesus to teachers daring to "think critically about power." Now 100 Notre Dame professors have asked to join the list in solidarity, proclaiming, "We wish to be counted among those you are watching."